Both the Front and the Back

Using The Beatles as the subject for your photo entry was a clever ploy. The world’s most famous pop group was sure to garner favour with all Beatles fans - me included. What swung it for me (apart from your very balanced mono renditions) was the use an apt Beatles lyric as the title of your entry. I wish more people would pay attention to photo titles then I wouldn’t have to dismiss their entries with a - “Hello and Goodbye”.

With your two half photos of a wooden bunny joined together in the middle you’ve created a very original animated character. One I can imagine featuring in a string of children’s books and starring in his own television show. It could be centred around the world of confusion the puppet lives in - never knowing wether he’s coming or going. A bit like the hare from ‘Alice In Wonderland’ who’s always late for an important date. Your surreal interpretation was exactly what I was half hopping to see in this challenge.

What intrigued me about your clever entry was that its impossibly to tell if it’s one photo of two people or two photos of one person. However you’ve constructed the photo (reminiscent of an appearing and disappearing figures in a weather clock) you’ve managed to do it perfectly. Not only have you taken a front and back photo of a hooded individual but with your open and shut doors you’ve created a second subject with a front and back configuration. That’s why I've given your unique two-fold interpretation a doubly-worthy 1st place.

Now this is clever. The front end and back end of a vehicle seamlessly stitched together to create a surreal-looking hybrid car. The only problem is that if you were to drive the thing it would go round in a perpetual circle. That’s the reason why your custom-made convertible would go down well as a fun ride in an amusement park. Just like your amusingly creative thinking has gone down well with my judging.

How could I resist including the ubiquitous Taj Mahal in my top ten? Your first image is the one we’re all so familiar with but you had the presence of mind to walk around the back of the building to photograph the less viewed side of the iconic marble mausoleum. I like the use of the rounded-corners echoing the shape of the architectural domes and presenting them within a cream background to offset the colours of the combined photos. A bit more care could have been taken to centre the bottom image whilst taking the photo, but that doesn’t take away from a very good front and back architectural entry.

First of all I like the presentation of your entry. Ordinarily it would be frowned upon if a single photo was entered floating within such an expanse of white space but within a diptych it’s an acceptable and allowed practice. Your use of portrait and landscape shapes differentiating between front and back is a unique touch. Shooting the Southwold beach huts at sunrise and sunset adds a further dimension to the narrative and has helped to lift your elevations above other straightforward architectural entries.

How can one resist these two cute harvest mice hanging on for dear life onto a head of corn. You’ve caught their front and back bodies at precisely the right moment to make it a perfect entry into this photo challenge. It’s a pity that a stray stalk is visible but the central image is so strong it can withhold the slight incongruity. I like your title referencing The Hollies hit single and to quote another one of their lyrics - ‘Just one look, is all it took’ for me to love your mieces to pieces.

There is so much to admire about this double exposure composite. The use of the duotone cerise and green colours helps to differentiate between the front and back of the two female portraits. There’s a suggestion of a competitive sport with their headbands and postures that gives the composition a sense of healthy vitality. I would have removed the faint vertical line running between the two photos in post production but that doesn’t deter from this being a very different type of entry making it worthy of a top ten place.

These are clean, crisp photographs of a beautifully crafted, see-through watch. Not being a watch-wearer, I know very little about horology collectibles (other than the names Rolex and Omega) so was amazed at the prices the Theorema brand can fetch. You’ve done the timepieces justice by shooting them against a white background and using the predominant peach colour as your separating frame. The clockwork’s well-balanced hands have been equally well-balanced in your capable hands.